Democratic People's Republic of Namibia
The Democratic People's Republic of Namibia (DPRN) was a dictatorial, Stalinist country played by christos200 in Multipolarity III. Led by Hifikepunye Pohamba, it claimed to be dogmatically atheist, but invariably bent to the Papal States and in 2502 instituted Roman Catholicism as the official state religion. Namibia sought imperial hegemony over South and Central Africa, and in later years the continent entire. It participated in the First and Second Romnesian Wars to mixed success, and suffered a devastating four-year invasion by the Blood Empire that witnessed massive civilian atrocities and the near-destruction of the country. In the game's epilogue, Namibia (renamed the State of South Africa following the annexation of Mozambique) entered into a six-year war with the Union of Guinea that ended in South African defeat, although it later acceded into the Pan-African Commonwealth. History Australian crisis In 2500, Namibia launched a foreign relations campaign seeking to gain political influence over Australia. New Zealand, which also had interest in the area, attempted to persuade the Namibians to back off, arguing it was better suited to peacebuilding operations and suggesting that Namibian 'imperialism' could be construed as a long-term threat. Namibia agreed to withdraw, but vowed New Zealand would be "punished". Some time thereafter, Namibia instigated a blockade, demanding Wellington forfeit its influence over Australia. The Imperium of Man immediately pledged military support against the Namibian fleet, followed by Australia and Hawai'i. International denouncement of the blockade steadily mounted, and facing the prospect of open war against four countries Namibia backed down in 2501. Namibian–Manx antagonism In 2501, Canada began enforcing zone of control over its traditional territory, and attempted to negotiate the purchase of Newfoundland from the Manx. Mann refused to relinquish what it claimed was land vital to its mining industry, responding with veiled threats and imperial chauvinism. Relations rapidly deteriorated and both sides began lobbying for international support. Namibia embargoed the Manx and instructed its client states to follow suit; Peel responded by declaring the Namibian network a terrorist organization. Relations only normalized following the death of Emperor Gilmore in 2502 as part of a broader Manx initiative to salvage its foreign standing. First Romnesian War Late in 2502 in an attempt to slander the Papacy, Romnesia published a leaked Vatican memo urging several unidentified states to undermine Romney's client network. Namibia responded that it would levy an embargo if Romnesia maintained political influence in China (principally Wuhan, which Namibia sought to vassalize), then launched a sneak attack at the end of the year. Occurring independent of, but concurrent with a multinational campaign to break the naval blockade of the Ivory Coast, the attack netted moderate territorial gains. However, it quickly came under international suspicion over its aggressive intent and rumours that Namibia possessed nuclear weapons, and Tropico and the Spammer's Crusade tabled a UN resolution aiming to sanction Namibia. As losses continued to mount over the next year, Romnesia sued for peace, and in 2504 agreed to a treaty covering all parties. With open land in south Africa almost exhausted, Namibia used its Romnesian beachhead to expand along the western coast. Second Romnesian and Vampiric Wars Refusing to accept the ensuing Manx–Namibian colonization, Romnesia broke the treaty and declared war that same year. When the Spammers voiced support for Romney, Namibia threatened nuclear retaliation, and declared a doctrine of total war. While most of its army was stationed along the coast for colonization, Romnesia mustered significant support from its clients and Operation Fireworm splintered the Namibian expedition. Meanwhile, the Blood Empire, in conjunction with Netherscotland and Russian mercenaries hired by Romney, launched a direct attack on Namibia itself, seizing most of its coast. With the flight of Romney in 2505, the Blood Empire offered to sell back captured Namibian territory, but was flatly rejected. Later that year Mozambique was couped out of Namibian control. A two-front war ensued; while Namibia was successful in reclaiming its northwestern regions, it was driven out of the southeast. Namibia subsequently declared total war against the vampires and vowed to annex Mozambique. While it had effectively lost its foothold in Guinea, Namibia managed to coup the Sahara Republic, opening a devastating northern front against the Romnesian successor state, the National Socialist Regime of Africa. Closure of Romnesian front Namibia, the Blood Empire, and the NSRA were subject to an international trade embargo by the newly-founded HITSGDP over illegal aggression, war crimes, and presumed genocidal intent, respectively. Likely intended to force all parties to the bargaining table, the scheme fell through when Namibia refused to deal with the vampires; Indonesia, the organization's chair, responded with the threat of naval blockade if the Namibians continued aggressive designs against Mozambique and the NSRA. In an attempt to gain access to the alliance, the NSRA brokered a peace deal with Namibia, buying its Guinean exclaves and returning its personnel. Namibia still refused to negotiate with the vampires, threatening to further expand the war to the Americas. In 2506 the Namibian fleet was destroyed. Closure of Vampiric front In 2507, Namibia launched a massive counterattack on vampiric lines, using seditious activity to undermine enemy control in occupied territory. While the campaign succeeded in recapturing large swaths of territory, the Blood Empire's brutal suppression of the uprising and scorched earth retreat slaughtered over half the population of the liberated territories. The atrocity spurred HITSGDP to repeal its embargo against Namibia. In 2508, the Blood Empire abruptly collapsed; remaining African territories were seized by Namibia and the successor republic literally paid for its own clientage. As a result of régime change, Mozambique withdrew from occupied Namibian territory and likewise submitted itself to clientage. 2508 government restructuring Emboldened by mounting war weariness, libertarian movements began exerting pressure on the central government, and in 2508 Namibia announced it would hold free elections in areas "not under threat" from the war. Polls were held later that year; while longstanding dictator Hifikepunye Pohamba remained President and leader of the Communist Party, he did so under a coalition with the Socialist and Liberal parties. Shortly afterward, the nearly-defunct partners of the original coalition merged with the Communists, possibly in a bid to form a majority government in the next election. One of the new government's first acts was to begin the sell-off of bankrupt state corporations to raise money before the end of the Vampiric War. This was accompanied by a slash in wages to subsidize foreign businesses. With the end of the wars and transition toward democracy, HITSGDP approved Namibia's accession in 2509. In a show of goodwill to revitalize the country's devastated economy, the Spammers offered to own Namibian debt, at the time totalling 90 billion rubl'. With the Papacy's withdrawal from the alliance later that year, the Spammers subsequently offered a defensive pact to all member states; while Namibia agreed, it stated it would not honour obligations that would require a declaration of war against Rome. 2510 national election After only two years in power, the government announced in 2509 it would hold new elections. This was done at the instigation of the Federalist Party, who claimed that as the 2508 elections were not nation-wide they lacked legitimacy. Prior to the elections, the ruling coalition merged into a single party dubbed the Namibian National Front (NNA); excepting the Catholic Party of Namibia, the opposition retaliated with a counter-coalition ironically named the Namibian Democratic Front (the former name of the NNA's precursor), under Federalist leader Lucas Mulhara. The NDF coalition won the election with 51% of the popular vote. The new government continued the industrialization projects of the NNA under a neoliberal framework. Mozambique crisis, decline and collapse Late in 2510, two successive coup attempts on Mozambique triggered a civil war that split the country into a pro-Guinean north and pro-Namibian south. Namibia immediately promised military support to the South and launched an aggressive public relations campaign in a bid to dissuade Guinean support to the North. Undaunted, Guinea sponsored a diplomatic summit in Nchekwube between all concerned parties; while Namibia initially announced it would fully annex the South, pre-emptively rechristening itself as the State of South Africa, Northern diplomats managed to secure a two-state solution by agreeing to a trade export quota. Namibia, however, had no intention of honouring the treaty. Successive coup attempts against the Northern régime exhausted Guinean patience, and when the Namibians overthrew the Ugandan government Guinea committed to open war. The ensuing conflict lasted six years and totalled one million casualties as the Namibians refused to negotiate until the country was virtually destroyed. The old government was deposed, secessionist eastern provinces were allowed back into Zimbabwe, and South Africa was redeveloped under financial support from the Pan-African Commonwealth, later joining the organization proper once relations with Guinea normalized. Politics From its inception circa 2500, the DPRN was ruled by the Namibian Democratic Front, a coalition of socialist and German nationalist parties. While ostensibly a presidential republic, in practice it was a totalitarian state whose leader, Hifikepunye Pohamba, enjoyed a pervasive cult of personality, and following the state conversion to Christianity in 2502, was touted as a prophet of God. Although the institution of free elections led to the proliferation of new political parties, the fledgling democracy proved fragile. The NDF originally comprised five parties, but by 2508 they had either lost support or been undermined by the Communists, and shortly after the national election the coalition merged into the United Communist Democratic Party of Namibia. While the Communists achieved a plurality, they were forced into another coalition with the Liberals and a new Socialist Party to secure a 57% popular vote. Hoping to win a simple majority in the next campaign, Pohamba subsequently merged this coalition to form the Namibian National Front shortly before the 2510 election. The Federalist Party, which served as official opposition, retaliated by merging with several new parties into a counter-bloc dubbed the Namibian Democratic Front, ironically mirroring the previous dictatorial coalition. With the Catholic Party trailing under 15% of the popular vote, Namibia was effectively locked into a two-party system. The NDF won the 2510 election with 51% approval; while the new government instituted more neoliberal policies, its industrialization scheme and foreign policy differed little from the Communists', and its militant approach to maintaining the loyalty of its client states suggested President Mulhara's dream of a pan-African federation was merely a euphemistic reimagining of Communist imperialism. National symbolism Namibia's national identity was founded on a befuddling mix of African nationalism, Marxism, and the German colonial legacy. Despite touting Hendrik Witbooi as a national hero and dismissing 'Western' political philosophy, its rhetoric was grounded far more in imported German norms than indigenous culture. Its state flag was a 1912 design by the German colonial office, adopted under the rationale that even though Germany perpetrated "terrible crimes and genocides", it "gave us a language" and provided a catalyst for the unification of the Namibian tribes—apparently forgetting this was in opposition to German imperialism.Namibian FAQ, ca. 2500 Stance on religion Namibia's official policy on religion was confusing and contradictory, and seemed tabled out of self-serving Realpolitik rather than ideological conviction. In traditional Marxist rhetoric it denounced organized religion, yet in 2500 supported the Papal nomination for UN Secretary-General because "the Pope, as a holy man, will be better for this job than a politican."http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=12005843#post12005843 When in 2502 Manx emperor Gilmore began open attacks against the legitimacy of the Papacy, Namibia declared its support for the Pope and from then on sought to appease Rome at every opportunity. Later that same year, the government suddenly announced it was adopting Catholicism as the state religion under a feeble rationale that Jesus was Communist and Karl Marx was a prophet of God; the decision was almost certainly an attempt to secure a military alliance with Wuhan following the collapse of the Jung Dynasty, more specifically to counteract a Papal letter advising the self-proclaimed Emperor of China against dealing with an "atheistic and infidelic" regime.Letter to Emperor George of China, 2502 References Category:Former dictatorships Category:Former republics Category:African countries Category:German-speaking countries and territories Category:Countries in MP3